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Meet the 'Donald of Dubai' who's betting big on US data centers, has ties to Trump and Musk — and is worth $13 billion

Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of Dubai's DAMAC Properties poses for the camera during an interview with Reuters at his office in Dubai, August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Saeed Azhar
Hussain Sajwani is the founder and chairman of Dubai's Damac Group.

Thomson Reuters

  • The "Donald of Dubai" now ranks in the world's 200 richest people with a net worth of $13 billion.
  • Hussain Sajwani joined Trump last week to say he'd invest $20 billion in US data centers.
  • Sajwani is a longtime Trump associate and an investor in Elon Musk's SpaceX and xAI.

A real estate tycoon dubbed the "Donald of Dubai" has shot up the ranks of the world's wealthiest people, securing a top-200 spot on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Hussain Sajwani, an associate of both President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, wasn't on the 500-person list at the end of 2024. He now sits in 179th place with a $13.1 billion fortune.

Sajwani joined Trump at a press conference last week to announce he'd invest at least $20 billion in US data centers, and cited the incoming president's pro-business policies for the move. Data centers serve a key role in powering cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The Emirati billionaire now sits one spot behind financier Charles Schwab, and well ahead of fashion designer Ralph Lauren and Laurene Powell Jobs โ€” the widow of Apple's late cofounder, Steve Jobs.

Sajwani has added $9.8 billion to his wealth in 2025 following Dubai's property boom, according to Bloomberg. That gain is beaten only by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the world's third-richest person, who's up an estimated $10.5 billion this month.

Sajwani is the chairman and founder of Damac Group, a private conglomerate that counts luxury real estate developer Damac Properties and fashion label Roberto Cavalli among the businesses it owns.

The 71-year-old partnered with the next US president to build the first Trump-branded golf course in the Middle East a decade ago. He's also invested in Elon Musk's SpaceX and xAI, press releases show.

Sajwani recently posted a picture on X of himself with Trump and Musk at a New Year's bash at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Trump's business ties have raised concerns of bias and conflicts of interest, especially after Musk emerged as one of his key donors, campaigners, and confidants in the recent presidential election.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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